Topless woman saved
after misjudging swim

KIHEI >> A woman swimmer who underestimated the distance between Little Beach and Molokini Island off Maui was fished out of the ocean yesterday by a fishing boat.

The woman, wearing only a pair of cutoff jeans, had swum more than a mile from shore, about a third of the three-mile stretch, when the fishing boat picked her up about 9:15 a.m., said fire Capt. David Thyne.

"I guess that was a catch for them," Thyne said.

The 21-year-old woman from Salt Lake City did not require medical attention, Thyne said.

The woman misjudged how far she had to swim from the south Maui beach to Molokini Island. "She stated to me that it appeared to be closer than she thought," Thyne said.

Her companion, a man, had tried to talk her out of her adventure, but she took the swim anyway from Little Beach, where beachgoers often sunbathe in the nude, Thyne said.

The companion called for help at 8:53 a.m. after watching her swim for an hour, Thyne said. Fire rescue officials, who launched a search, helped bring her ashore after the fishing boat found her.

A county searcher using a personal watercraft took her from the fishing vessel and dropped her near shore. A rescue worker then helped her onto the beach, Thyne said.